*Author's note*
Ok, for anyone who reads my stories, or still bothers to check out my page, I'm sorry. I haven't updated in a while, for a number of reasons. First was exams, then my internet died, and then I lost all my updates. (found them again, but it took a while) But the biggest reason I haven't updated was this. I was recommended the Naruto fanfic Team 8 by S'TarKan, which if you haven't read I suggest you do, and it inspired me to write a Naruto fic of my own. I would like to point out that my fic, while inspired by Team 8 and has some similarities to it because I love the idea, is not a knock off of Team 8. I am not here to steal from anyone, and I have browsed very few other fanfics for Naruto except for one or two I've been recommended off TV tropes. So if I have a similar idea to anyone, I'm sorry but I'm not stealing. Really. I'd have to have read you story to steal the idea.
That out of the way, this is the first chapter of my Naruto idea. Bit of a "for want of a nail" that I have a lot written for it. A retelling of the main story of sorts. Naruto will be better than he is in the manga, mostly a bit brighter, less impulsive and annoying, and more competent. Hopefully not a Mary Sue, since I've been working really hard to avoid all that. Oh, and separation for my stories is normally done by * symbols but the website keeps deleting those and my double spaces, so instead you'll see what I'm using after my disclaimer. If anyone has a solution that works better, please let me know, and let me know if I should keep posting this story. I only really post for feedback and reviews, so please let me know. My ranting done, enjoy.
Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. Or if I did, I'd have quit with the hours of backstory to every minor character and their mother.
(Nothing else seems to work)
At five years old, Naruto Uzimaki was sure he was going crazy.
It had started earlier that day, a normal day by his standards. He had been playing on the playground, alone despite the massive number of kids that filled the sandbox. Any time he approached another child, either they reacted violently and he was forced to flee or fight back until their parents intervened and grew angry at him, or the worst case when one of the children would play with him, only to be taken away and scolded by a parent. "Stay away from him." They'd tell their children. "He isn't safe. Don't play with him, don't talk with him. Just act like he doesn't exist."
It was a cruel thing to tell a child, and even crueler to give that instruction while the child in question was standing only a foot away. So Naruto sat alone on a swing, watching the other children go home and the sun start to sink.
"Why do they hate me?" He wondered, staring at the retreating families and feeling a nasty combination of envy and anger stir in his belly. "What did I do to them? What's wrong with me?"
He knew he was asking this out loud, and he hadn't wanted an explanation. He didn't expect an answer, especially given his surroundings. But he did get a response, in the form of a deep, guttural snarl that was a little too happy to explain things to him.
"You know why they hate you!" The voice snarled. "You've known since the day you were born. You're a monster boy. They hate you, and you will in turn hate them."
Naruto froze on his swing, his eyes dancing left and right to find the source of the voice and failing. The little blonde boy broke into a cold sweat as he stood up, glancing around the playground and demanding, "Wh-who said that?"
"I did. Don't play dumb. You know who I am!" The voice snarled.
Naruto didn't respond but his body reacted before his mind could. He barely thought about what he was doing before he took off.
Naruto ran as fast as he could through Konohagakure, dodging past vendors closing their stalls and families making their way home for the night. Ninja or civilian it didn't matter; Naruto ignored everyone in his path and just ran as fast as his short legs could carry him. A small portion in the back of his mind hoped that no one had been hurt or knocked over by him but that portion was dwarfed by the fear that possessed his body. He wanted to get away, and he wanted it now!
So he ran, the only way a frightened child could. He dodged in a pattern that made little sense to anyone else, letting blind panic and adrenaline guide him as he bounced off of walls and dove under people's legs. He didn't know where he was, and didn't stop until he miraculously made it to his home, a small apartment he lived in alone, and collapsed once through the door.
His lungs begging for air, his legs burning and body battered and bruised, Naruto just lay on the floor, struggling to recover and praying that whatever had spoken had been left behind.
"Don't be a fool. How could you leave behind a part of yourself? You could run forever and I would still be right there with you."
Naruto's breath caught in his throat as he tried to move, scared out of his mind at the voice that spoke to him. He squeezed his eyes shut, fear tensing every muscle in his body. "Who are you?" He demanded in a whisper.
A low chuckle caught Naruto's attention, sounding different than before. The voice earlier had been... distant, he supposed described it best. An echo, something he heard from far away. When he opened his eyes, he was no longer in his apartment. Instead he was in a massive room, with a wet floor and bars that stretched from beneath the ground into the ceiling. The bars looked like a gate, only with no hinges or latch. Instead there sat a long thin strand of paper. Naruto still struggled in reading but could clearly make out a single word on the paper was simply the word "seal" across the middle.
Naruto stared past the gate, struggling to see what was hidden. Suddenly a set of glowing red eyes appeared, and a muzzle full of teeth snapped at the bars. Naruto gave a startled yelp and scrambled back, even as the face withdrew.
"Come closer boy!" A voice snarled from behind the bars.
"No thanks." Naruto whispered. "I'm fine back here."
"Why will you not come closer?" It snapped.
"Because you probably have long arms to go with those big teeth?" Naruto suggested. "What are you?"
The figured snarled and drew itself up to the bars, letting the light shine through the bars. Naruto bit back a hiss and stumbled back even further. "Impossible. You're dead!" He snapped.
The figure chuckled as its red fur seemed to shimmer in the light, and its tails curved around its body. "Dead? Dear boy, you can't kill me." It chuckled. "Not even your precious fourth Hokage could kill me. So he did the only thing he could, and sealed me within a person. You."
"Me?" Naruto asked softly. "Why me? What's special about me?"
"As far as I can tell, nothing. That man just chose to punish you out of everyone. He even damned the village in doing so." The Kyubi told him. "You hate the village, and rightly so. You should hate them for isolating you."
"Hate them?" Naruto asked, parroting the demon. "Why would I hate them? How could I hate them?"
The Kyubi cocked its head, looking confused at the boy. Naruto shrugged. "They know what I am. I'm a demon. You were sealed in me, and if you get out you'll kill everyone. They don't hate me. They're scared of me. And they should be."
"And that doesn't bother you?" The demon asked.
"Of course it does." Naruto snapped, momentarily forgetting his fear. "I hate that they fear me. I hate being alone. I don't want it! But that isn't their fault, it's yours!"
"Mine? I'd rather die than be trapped in a brat like you!" The Fox snapped. "I didn't have a choice!"
"Neither did I." Naruto told it softly. The Kyubi snarled but didn't reply. "So what do we do?"
"Do? We should make them pay!" The Fox demanded. "They have trapped me, and hurt you! Let me out, and I will make them pay."
"And then?" Naruto asked. "You'd kill them, wouldn't you? Prove them right?"
The Kyubi paused for a moment, staring at Naruto in confusion. "Why not? They are human." It snarled.
"They are. They're human, with families and friends that they fear for." Naruto let himself sink to the floor with a sigh. "You would kill them for that fear, a fear that was started by you attacking the village."
"I didn't attack!" The Kyubi snapped. "I defended myself. I might hate people but I wouldn't do something that stupid."
"Whatever." A defeated looking Naruto told it. "What do you want? Why are you talking to me? I'm not letting you out."
"Really? Even if it costs you your life?" The Fox demanded. "You die, I die. Your Hokage got me with that, the bastard. I'm into self-preservation."
"Not if it leaves you trapped in a brat." Naruto reminded it. The Fox snarled but didn't reply. "I thought so. I'm leaving now."
"You'll be back." The Kyubi promised. "You're alone except for me. You won't have a choice."
Naruto shrugged and walked away. He walked away from the cage, and his surroundings kept growing dark. Naruto blinked and suddenly found himself sitting in his apartment, only a few minutes after he'd arrived. His legs no longer hurt and he'd caught his breath but he felt exhausted. He looked around his living room for a moment, his thoughts bouncing around in his head until he finally stood up and headed for the roof of his building.
It was starting to get dark but Naruto didn't mind. He preferred to look at the village at night. It was a beautiful sight, and there wasn't anybody around to judge him. He watched the sun set, thinking over what the Fox had told him, and slowly coming to terms with a frightening realization.
He was the demon. He was the thing that had attacked and killed the Fourth Hokage, the greatest protector of Konohagakure. He was the reason there were so many orphans, so many deaths. Him.
That crushing realization led to others, and none of the ideas were very pleasant. He was a monster. No wonder the other kids didn't like him. He shouldn't exist.
His thoughts spiraled downwards from there, and Naruto was consumed enough that he didn't notice that someone had landed on the roof behind him. He only noticed when a hand touched his shoulder, causing the boy to jump. He glanced up at the figure with a monkey ANBU mask on. "Hey jiji." Naruto said quietly.
The figure removed the mask, chuckling. "Naruto. What are you doing out here this late? It isn't safe to be on rooftops at night."
Naruto glanced up at the old man, wondering what he should say. The Third Hokage, once an extraordinarily powerful ninja whose strength was waning with age, had retired years ago before the attack from the Kyubi on the village. With the death of the Fourth, the Third had taken his office back with extreme reluctance. Now swamped with the duties of his office, he still made time to know all the ninja of his village, and kept an eye on the lonely Naruto.
Naruto probably wouldn't have been able to admit it but he respected the Hokage beyond words. The old man had taken the time to look out for Naruto, making time to visit him and allow Naruto to interrupt his day in his office. But now he had to question whether or not the Hokage had been looking after Naruto because he was alone, or because of what he was.
Naruto remembered suddenly he'd been asked a question and looked down shyly. "I like looking at the village at night." He muttered. "It's easier. And you and the ANBU on are the rooftops at night."
The Third chuckled again. "Fair enough," Sarutobi told him, sitting down beside the boy. "But you also only come up here when you're troubled. What's wrong?"
Naruto swallowed and looked down. He hadn't remembered shifting towards the edge of the roof, and he suddenly realized how high up he was. "I had a... scary conversation this afternoon." He admitted.
"With who?" The Hokage asked, suddenly concerned.
"The Kyubi." Naruto whispered.
The Third froze, his face contorted. Naruto cringed and looked away. When the Hokage didn't say anything, Naruto quietly told him, "It told me that it was in me. That I'm the demon. That's why everyone hates me, isn't it?"
"No one hates you Naruto." Sarutobi protested weakly but stopped when Naruto gave him a look of disbelief. The Third sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "No, it's not. No one your age knows. They are forbidden to be told by anyone but you."
"But their parents know." Naruto said softly. "And they don't want their children in contact with the demon."
Too late the Hokage heard everything that Naruto had said. The old man's face grew fierce as he turned towards him. "Listen to me Naruto." Sarutobi told the boy firmly. "You aren't the demon. You cannot be the demon. You are the prison for the Kyubi, no matter what anyone else says. You are the only thing keeping our village safe from it."
"I'm what?" Naruto asked.
"You heard me right." The Third told him. "You are the prison designed to seal the demon away. You hold the greatest burden in this village. Greater even than mine."
"But... But the Kyubi said-" Naruto swallowed heavily. "It said if I died, it died."
Sarutobi gave him a sharp look. "Even if that were true, it means nothing." The Hokage snapped. "Naruto, you are a person. You were chosen to bear the burden of keeping the Kyubi under control. The villagers don't understand, can't understand what that means. If they did, they would respect that the only thing keeping the demon at bay is you."
"Then why didn't anyone kill me, and kill the demon?" Naruto demanded. "The Kyubi fears my death. It would be gone."
"So would you." Sarutobi told him gravely. "And while the demon is a threat, there would only ever be one Naruto. To kill the demon was to lose isn't a price I'm willing to pay. Why are you?" Naruto looked away and shrugged. The Third Hokage gently wrapped his arm around Naruto's shoulders, and gave a quiet sigh. "It spoke to you, did it? Did it say anything else? Did it say you had no value?"
Naruto shook his head. The Hokage nodded, and told him gently, "Naruto, I know how you feel. You've realized, much earlier than I thought, exactly what your life is going to be like. I had hoped you would be older before the Fox woke up, and you would have had a chance to deal with it. You're alone, feeling helpless because you know hold so many lives on your shoulders. You didn't ask for this, nor do you fully want it. But knowing what you know, could you turn your back? Could you let the Kyubi take control, let it take revenge?"
"No!" Naruto whispered fiercely, his eyes wet. "How could I? They aren't right, but I can't kill them!"
Sarutobi nodded, and smiled at Naruto. "And that's why you are better than them. You've been alone, and people have been horrible to you in their ignorance, and even now you can't turn your back on them. That's a big thing Naruto, even if it doesn't feel that way."
Naruto nodded slowly. "They're still my people." Naruto told the Hokage. "That's why you protect them, isn't it Hokage-sama? Even when they do something wrong?"
"That, and I understand that they're people. People aren't perfect Naruto." Sarutobi told him gently. "They have fears, they make mistakes. That doesn't make them good or bad. It makes them human. And I'm one of them. I make mistakes, I have fears, and I hurt people I don't mean to. But I have the power to keep them safe, to make things better. What else could I do?"
Naruto nodded in agreement. "Does it get easier? Dealing with people?" He asked.
"Not always." The Third admitted. "But that's what it means to be a shinobi. We exist to serve our people."
"Could I be a shinobi? With this thing in me?" Naruto asked.
The Hokage looked at him in surprise. "You want to become a shinobi?" He asked.
"I want to prove everyone wrong." Naruto said softly. "They all think I'm dangerous, I'm a threat to the village. I'll show them. I'll become the best ninja this village has ever seen."
Sarutobi chuckled. "That's a high target." He warned.
"No. A high target would be Hokage." Naruto told him, his voice determined. "If I can, I'll be Hokage someday."
The Third nodded slowly and gave Naruto a warm grin. "Then that's what you do Naruto." He told him. "There's no reason you can't attend the Academy. You're too young for this year, but in time..."
"I'll do it Hokage-sama." Naruto told him, sliding back along the roof. "I'll be the best Hokage ever. Even better than you!"
Sarutobi chuckled and ruffled Naruto's hair. Naruto bowed respectfully and headed back to his apartment. Sarutobi rolled his shoulders, watching the boy leave before turning to look at the silent village. "Dream big Naruto." He said softly. "You, of all people, have earned that." He double checked Naruto was safely in his apartment before slipping his mask back on and disappearing into the night.
(nothing else seems to work)
Naruto knew that he couldn't enroll in the Academy right away but the thought that he could excited him. He began putting aside money from his stipend from the Hokage, not knowing how much he'd need to save up but putting aside all he could spare. He began sneaking out to watch the older ninja practice, trying to gleam some of their techniques while they practiced. He tried to imitate their motions as they practiced their taijutsu, feeling clumsy and awkward but trying regardless.
But even as he watched, he grew curious as they practiced their other techniques, studying their attempts at using ninjutsu and genjutsu. He could feel the shift as they drew on their chakra, and his mind began to spin with the possibilities. He tried imitating their hand seals, trying to mimic their jutsus with little success.
After spending a few days working on his ninjutsus, he went home scowling, frustrated at his lack of success. At least with mimicking the taijutsu, it felt like he was getting somewhere. With the ninjutsu, nothing happened no matter how hard he tried. He kicked off his shoes and sat down in the middle of his apartment in a funk.
"Didn't work again? Huh. Not surprised."
Naruto's scowl deepened as the Kyubi spoke. He closed his eyes anyway, feeling himself settle into the cage. "What do you want?"
"Me? You called me here." The Kyubi snarled. "I'm content to be alone."
"Really." Naruto said flatly. "That's funny."
"What?" The Kyubi snapped.
Naruto didn't answer right away, only blew out a long breath. "Why can't I do any ninjutsu or genjutsu?" He asked the Kyubi with all the patience the five year old could muster.
"Because you don't know how to yet." It told him impatiently. "You can't mold your chakra to make either. Genjutsu requires a vivid imagination to make an illusion, while ninjutsu allows you to manipulate your chakra into energy."
"Could you teach me?" Naruto asked it.
"Why would I want to?" It demanded.
Naruto shrugged. The Kyubi stared at him before sighing. "No. Not right now. You would be injured. You need to learn basic chakra control first. I can't safely teach you that. Also, you mortals mold chakra oddly. I could not easily teach you a jutsu as humans know it. Other techniques, yes but those that other ninja do? No."
"Oh." Was all Naruto said. He was, not always be choice, speaking the Kyubi almost every afternoon. This had been going on for a few weeks, and it seemed like, at least on the surface, the Fox was starting to enjoy spending time with him. It didn't wait for him start the conversations, and was actually speaking in an almost respectful tone.
"I have a funny question. What's your name?" Naruto asked it.
"My name?" The Fox asked, startled.
"Yeah. Your name. You have one, don't you?" The Fox gave a startled nod. "So what's your name? I can't just call you Fox or Kyubi."
"Brat." The Fox told him. "Why do you care?"
"Because we're stuck with each other." Naruto told it. "I don't want to fight with you."
"You're still a mortal brat." The Fox reminded him sharply. "Do you actually trust me?"
"No." Naruto said. "I wish I could. You still just want revenge and to be let out, and I can't give you those. But could you at least give me your name, so that I can call you that instead?"
The Fox stared at him for a long time, before turning into the depths of its cage. Naruto waited for a moment, hoping that the Fox wasn't ignoring him but as the silence dragged on, he gave up. With a strong feeling of disappointment, Naruto stood up. "Sorry. Didn't mean to offend you. Was just trying to be polite." He said quietly, turning to walk away.
"...Kurama." The Kyubi said softly. Naruto turned in surprise, staring at the demon. "My name is Kurama."
Naruto grinned and turned back. He gave a slight bow, and told the Kyubi, "I'll visit tomorrow Kurama-san. And thank you."
The Kyubi grunted in response, frowning to itself as it listened to Naruto retreat. "What a strange boy. Showing kindness to the likes of me. Almost like her." It mused quietly. Glancing back, its frown deepened. "What will you become, Uzimaki?"